Balanced
by LumosLyra
Summary: "The precision with which he traced the runes in the familiar pattern brought a lightness to her chest as she faced the darkness." One-shot.


A/N: Standard disclaimers. I don't own Harry Potter, I'm just playing around in the world. I've been in a bit of a rut with writing lately and the intentions behind this story started out very different than where it ended. Enjoy!

...

She stood, barefoot in the grass, gazing over the Black Lake's rippling surface, arms crossed over her chest and wand held in her hand, a soft illumination from a _lumos_ spell the only light save for that of the moon and the stars. It was well past midnight but the once comforting hall of the ancient castle no longer brought her solitude and feelings of contentment. After waking from yet another nightmare, she fled from the oppressive walls nearly seeing the carnage and destruction that hadn't been present for many years.

No longer were the windows shattered, the walls reduced to rubble, or her friends and family dead around her feet. The scent of blood and hum of dark magic no longer filled her senses, but the mere sight of this suit of armor or that painting brought everything crashing down once more and it was though she was reliving one of the most terrifying nights of her life. She was normally able to hide it as she wandered the time-worn halls, but the anniversary of the final battle always brought the memories and the nightmares back to the surface for several months before she was able to bury them once again.

The winds still held desperately on to the promise of summer as autumn loomed on the horizon, carrying the sweet scent of jasmine and gardenia with them as they tousled her curls. She closed her eyes and inhaled, letting the scents on the wind and the gentle lapping of the water at the shore lull her into a sense of tranquility, relaxing her muscles and calming her pounding heart.

She sank to the ground, balls of her feet pressing into the soft earth as the grass tickled her toes. She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, idly bouncing her barely lit wand in her fingers as she focused on scents and sounds around her, slowly pulling herself out of the nightmare induced panic attack.

Perhaps it was a mistake to return, but she couldn't refuse the offer that was presented and so here she was, on the edge of the lake in the middle of the night calming her racing heart in the hope she would be coherent in the morning for the fifth time in as many days.

While he kept his opinions to himself, she knew he noticed the violet shadows forming under her eyes, the sallow coloring of her normally sun-kissed skin, and her lack of appetite. They were polite and formal, speaking to one another only when necessary, despite the burning sadness haunting their eyes.

A rustle of the grass told her she was not alone and the familiar scent of his cologne on the wind informed she had nothing to fear from the man who dropped down next to her. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and with a gentle tug towards him, she rested her head atop his shoulder as though they had never been apart. His magic called to hers and she knew he was projecting the soothing feeling that washed over her as their cores aligned as much as their breathing and the beats of their respective hearts.

Her eyes opened as she felt the patterns and symbols being traced down the curve of her spine by his long, delicate fingers. Nauthiz for endurance, survival, and the power to overcome. Jera for the promises of peace and prosperity. Algiz for protection and warding. Dagaz for the innate power to change, growth, and release. The precision with which he traced them in the familiar pattern brought a lightness to her chest as she faced the darkness.

It had taken weeks for her to recognize the pattern some years ago and she thought herself foolish in that moment. The brightest witch of her age had missed the careful strokes of the ancient runes upon her flesh. But now, the familiarity was comforting as his finger carefully etched each dip, curve, and line along her spine. Always the same four rune pattern.

Despite everything they had been through, every joy and every hardship, his presence at her side brought about a careful balance that she had not felt in many years.

"Thank you." She whispered, breaking the silence as she watched the ripples of the lake as they reflected the light from the stars in the black night.

"For what, Hermione?" He asked, in soothing, dulcet tones as he traced the sequence once more down her spine. Nauthiz. Jera. Algiz. Dagaz.

"Knowing where I would be, even after all this time." She replied, a soft sigh escaping her lips as he added the fifth rune to the familiar sequence. Ehwaz. Harmony. Trust. Partnership. She didn't have to see his eyes to know they were resting on the modest diamond on her left hand.

Her suspicions were confirmed when took her left hand in his and swiped his thumb across the engagement ring adorning her finger. "This should be mine." He said observantly with a distinct sadness in his voice, pressing his lips against the top of her head as he began the four-rune sequence again.

"Draco…" She started in a trembling voice, but she couldn't find the words to convey everything she wanted to say. How was it possible to apologize for the years of separation she had forced upon them and her cowardice when she realized she had made the biggest mistake of her life? How could she tell him she still loved him with every fiber of her being and she was settling for a man who was merely _nice_ and _safe_ but didn't inspire her passions? How were they to reconcile and move forward when she had made such a mess of everything all those years ago?

She knew he took her use of his given name as a warning, when he asked, "Are you happy?" She could feel the tension in his voice as he forced himself to ask the question and she closed her eyes again squeezing them tightly to stem the flow of tears that were threatening to release with the fervor of a spring thunderstorm.

"No." She replied, truthfully.

He pulled back slightly and she knew he was staring down at her as he gave her hand a squeeze and ended the four-rune sequence with Perthro. Uncertainty. Secrets. "No?" He questioned and she could hear the uncertainty in his voice coupled with something that sounded vaguely like hope.

"No." She affirmed with an unexpected show of confidence, entwining her fingers with his and giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Not happy. Content, maybe. But not happy." She emphasized with a slight shake of her head, causing her curls to bounce and partially cover her face.

He briefly removed his hand from hers and tucked her curls behind her ear, his thumb lingering against her cheek before lacing their fingers together again. She knew as soon as they separated, her soul and her magical core would call out to him and without his presence, the emptiness would return. She had learned to live with it and hoped for the longest time that it was simply due to a broken heart, but she knew it was more than that.

"Hermione, it's not too late." His tone was level and calm, but she knew if she were to look in his eyes she would see desperation, pleading, and uncertainty. His eyes always gave him away, shifting with his moods – dark storm-clouds when he was angered, silver flecked with blue when happy, slate and cool when defensive, and a dull ash when enveloped in sadness.

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, causing the soft flesh to swell slightly. "Isn't it? So much has changed."

"Granger." He growled, "Spare me the bullshit. We're both miserable and you know it." She felt the runes stop and his hand leave her back and she knew he was raking it through his hair, tugging slightly at the roots as his nails dug roughly into his scalp. She could still predict his movements, even after spending several years apart. She was unsurprised when he pulled his hand from hers and wrapped his arms firmly around her shoulders, resting his chin atop her head.

No longer able to stem the flow of tears, she turned into him and her arms locked around his torso. She felt the hot, wet rivulets run down her cheeks and she knew he was fighting his own tears as he pulled her into him, pressing his face into her curls.

"Draco, I'm so sorry." She managed to say between heavy, sorrowful sobs. "I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. I regretted it almost immediately but was too prideful to come back to England or write. We're miserable because of me and I don't know if there is any way to fix anything. To fix us. It's been so long." The words came out fractured and fragmented between desperate whimpers and wails as she clung to the only man she had ever truly loved beneath the moonlight.

He held her in silence until she calmed, soaking in her words. Reluctantly withdrawing his arms from around her petite form, he pried her arms from around him and gently cupped her face with his hands, wiping her tears away with his fingers. He brushed her curls from her face and returned his hands, gently stroking the apples of her cheeks with his fingers, though her eyes remained downcast.

"Hermione, love, please look at me." He urged, his voice heavy with emotion. She obliged, lifting her eyes to meet his and was rewarded with a chaste kiss to her forehead. "It will take time and a great deal of communication, but we are not so broken that we cannot be salvaged."

He pressed his hand against her chest, just over her heart. "I know you feel it too." She nodded, as he traced the perfect lines of Gebo across the space his hand had rested, just over her heart. Balance. Partnership. Push and pull. Ice and fire. Collected and impassioned. Snake and lion. Male and female. Imperfect and yet perfect. Synced.

"I've always felt it, Draco." She said, mirroring his actions and placing her hand over his heart. "It's _always_ been you." For years she had tried to fight, to reject their bond after she had rejected him, but the more she pushed him away, the more he attempted to pull her back. She would manage to push him from her mind for a day when his picture appeared in the paper or a memory would surface. She tried to bury her self-imposed heartache with limited success and only now being in his presence once more did it ease.

"Forever. I'm never letting you go again, Hermione." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers and she once again felt the electricity flow between them as their magic mingled and connected beneath the stars. Her lips parted and he captured her bottom lip between his teeth in a playful, hopeful nibble before once again taking her into his arms and pressing his lips firmly to hers once more. Her fingertips found their way into his hair as the stationary world began to spin once more as tongues danced and lips blushed and plumped with repeated impassioned contact.

When they broke apart, her head came to rest upon his chest, curls cascading over her shoulders as she felt the familiar rune sequence begin again with the final two once more in place after seven years. Nauthiz. Jera. Algiz. Dagaz. Ehwaz. Gebo. Determination. Hope. Protection. Certainty. Partnership. Balance.

They remained on the shore of the lake in relative silence until the sun broke over the horizon illuminating the castle behind them in a gentle light. The winds had stilled and the lake was placid as dew graced the grass around them. "We'll tell them tomorrow." She said quietly, twisting the engagement ring off of her finger and tucking it safely into the pocket of her robe with the intent to return it.

He nodded and pressed his nose into her curls seeking comfort for what was to come, just as she remembered. "Tomorrow."


End file.
